Palleon nasus (BOULENGER, 1887)
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Palleon nasus
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| Higher Taxa | Chamaeleonidae (Brookesiinae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | Palleon nasus nasus (BOULENGER 1887) Palleon nasus pauliani (BRYGOO, BLANC & DOMERGUE 1972) |
| Common Names | E: Eiongate Leaf Chameleon |
| Synonym | Brookesia nasus nasus BOULENGER 1887 Brookesia nasus BOULENGER 1887: 475 Evoluticauda nasus — ANGEL 1942: 178 Brookesia betsileana AHL 1927 Brookesia nasus — GLAW & VENCES 1994: 235 Brookesia nasus —NECAS 1999: 277 Brookesia nasus — TOWNSEND et al. 2009 Palleon nasus nasus — GLAW et al. 2013 Palleon nasus pauliani (BRYGOO, BLANC & DOMERGUE 1972) Brookesia nasus pauliani BRYGOO, BLANC & DOMERGUE 1972 Brookesia nasus pauliani — GLAW & VENCES 1994: 235 Palleon nasus pauliani — GLAW et al. 2013 |
| Distribution | Madagascar (Ekongo), SE Madagascar Type locality: Ekongo, SE Madagascar. pauliani: Madagascar, known form the type locality only; Type locality: Manjarivolo, l’Andringitra, 1620-1650 m elevation. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: BMNH 1879.10.21.8, female Holotype: MNHN-RA 1971.0276 and paratype MNHN-RA 1971.0277, two males [pauliani] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (genus): Small, brownish chameleons (snout–vent length 22–49 mm, total length 37–87 mm) with a relatively short tail, long snout, laterally compressed body, strongly convex dorsal ridge, at least one dermal appendage on snout tip, and a moderately developed wave-like dorsal crest in males. No pelvic shield or series of vertebral spines (some irregular tubercles may be present). The two species of Palleon differ from all Brookesia species by (1) a long and pointed head versus very short head, (2) a single dermal lobe (P. lolontany) or pair of small pointed lobes (P. nasus) on snout tip (absent in all Brookesia), (3) the presence of a strongly convex dorsal ridge (dorsal ridge in Brookesia mostly absent, if present, it will be almost straight [Raxworthy & Nussbaum 1995]:B.superciliaris, B.therezieni, and B.bekolosy), (4) presence of a wave-like dorsal crest in males (dorsal crest entirely absent in all Brookesia), (5) absence of a regular series of vertebral spines or tubercles (present in most Brookesia), (6) very distinct genetic divergence (Townsend et al. 2009, Tolley et al. 2013). Palleon most closely resembles several species of the mainland African genus Rhampholeon by sharing with these a long and pointed head, small size, presence of dermal lobe(s) on snout tip, presence of a convex dorsal ridge, occurrence of wave-like dorsal crests, absence of a regular series of vertebral spines or tubercles, and a predominantly brownish colouration (see Tilbury 2010), but the genetic differences between the two genera are very strong (e.g., Townsend et al. 2009). Palleon differs from Rieppeleon by its longer snout and tail (except R.kerstenii) and from all remaining chameleon genera by its much smaller size, the generally shorter relative tail length, absence of any colourful markings, and strong genetic divergence (Townsend et al. 2009, Tolley et al. 2013, Glaw et al. 2013). |
| Comment | Type species: Brookesia nasus BOULENGER 1887 is the type species of the genus Palleon GLAW et al. 2013. Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. |
| Etymology | Named after the (small) nasal protrusions (although those in the other species, lolontany, are larger). P. n. pauliani was apparently named after “Recteur R. Paulian” who was responsible for the “Recherches Coopératives sur Programme” (RCP 225). The genus name Palleon is derived from the Greek word “Palae-” (meaning “old”) and the Greek word “leon” (meaning “lion”; as used for other chameleon genera), referring to the very early separation of this clade. The resulting composite Palae-o-leon is shortened to Palleonfor simplified pronunciation. The gender of the genus is masculine. |
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